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Facades - Pro-active cost consultancy and procurement of facades is key to delivering project success.
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The 1 Broadgate scheme will be a best in class office space and British Land’s most energy efficient building. It's facade comprises over 20,000m2 of high performance unitised and stick system facades, and over 500 openable panels and doors giving access to fresh air. We have been involved since inception, providing cost and procurement advice to lead to a successful building delivery.
1 Broadgate

British Land & GIC

About/Facades

Facades will typically account for 20-30% of a new build construction cost, and potentially much more for a refurbishment. It is one of the key areas of the project where we can use our extensive cost data and comprehensive experience to make a tangible difference to costs, procurement and delivery.

We typically procure between 100,000m2 and 200,000m2 of facades a year, giving us a wealth of real time cost data and procurement knowledge. This covers large scale unitised and precast systems that maximise the benefits of DfMA and repetition, through to handset brickwork and bespoke glazing arrangements for unique smaller projects, and everything in between.

The facades occupy a uniquely challenging position of having to express a building’s identity to the public and the planning authority, whilst having to achieve high performance criteria for the building’s occupants, whilst meeting budget requirements. As Part L becomes ever more onerous and the Net Zero Carbon agenda continues to rise in importance this challenge will only increase.

Click through to read more about how we add value around the facades for some of the industry’s most challenging and progressive schemes.

The 1 Broadgate scheme will be a best in class office space and British Land’s most energy efficient building. It's facade comprises over 20,000m2 of high performance unitised and stick system facades, and over 500 openable panels and doors giving access to fresh air. We have been involved since inception, providing cost and procurement advice to lead to a successful building delivery.
1 Broadgate

British Land & GIC

The 40,000m2 of facades for this landmark mixed-use scheme in Victoria consist of six different diamond-shaped patterns inspired by neighbouring Art Deco buildings and the distinctive lines of 1920s jewellery. Our detailed involvement to balance design intent, cost and delivery de-risked this key element of the scheme.
The Broadway

Northacre

About/Facades

Realising Design Intent

We have successfully worked with a wide range of Clients, architects and facade consultants to successfully achieve their vision for the facades design within the budgetary constraint.

Typically over 50% of the façade cost will be driven by the factors you don’t see. The materiality selection for the visible external face is important, but factors like system choice, supply chain selection, level of articulation and repetition, procurement route and many others will also substantially affect costs. We interrogate all of these factors to identify and manage the true cost drivers of the design.

The 40,000m2 of facades for this landmark mixed-use scheme in Victoria consist of six different diamond-shaped patterns inspired by neighbouring Art Deco buildings and the distinctive lines of 1920s jewellery. Our detailed involvement to balance design intent, cost and delivery de-risked this key element of the scheme.
The Broadway

Northacre

This spectacular scheme for a kinetic glasshouse features 10 large glass petals that open and close like a flower, blending aesthetics and technical performance.
Woolbeding Glasshouse

The Woolbeding Charity

About/Facades

High Performance Solutions

A modern building places extremely high technical demands on the envelope. Ever tightening building regulations standards particularly Part B and Part L, balancing operational and embodied carbon, incorporating Access & Maintenance strategies, providing natural ventilation, demands from the energy strategy, and many other factors, all have to be considered from the early stages.

We have a wide range of experience in working with the design team to achieve the necessary performance criteria whilst managing cost budgets.

This spectacular scheme for a kinetic glasshouse features 10 large glass petals that open and close like a flower, blending aesthetics and technical performance.
Woolbeding Glasshouse

The Woolbeding Charity

The first phase of Hale Wharf features over 10,000m2 of multi-stock brickwork and recessed metal windows, with distinctive zinc pitched roofs and brick gable ends. We worked closely with the supply chain throughout to optimise design and cost.
Hale Wharf

Waterside Places

About/Facades

Effective Supply Chains

The key to successful façade procurement is asking the right people, the right question, at the right time. We typically procure 100,000m2 to 200,000m2 of facades a year and so have constantly up to date experience in formulating and delivering appropriate façade procurement strategies. Our team maintain close links to the specialist trade contractor supply chain, both established names and new entrants that can provide a different angle.

With the larger and more complex schemes there is often a benefit from early specialist contractor involvement. We do this whilst managing the client’s overall budgetary and cost fixity parameters.

The first phase of Hale Wharf features over 10,000m2 of multi-stock brickwork and recessed metal windows, with distinctive zinc pitched roofs and brick gable ends. We worked closely with the supply chain throughout to optimise design and cost.
Hale Wharf

Waterside Places

Arbor features 13,000m2 of innovative Closed Cavity Facades, providing significantly increased environmental performance, whilst allowing incredible amounts of natural light through the 3m glazed panels. The unitised panels were constructed off-site, maximising the use of prefabrication for this tight location above a Network Rail viaduct.
Arbor

Native Land

About/Facades

Achieving Net Zero Carbon

The facades are a key aspect in the drive for delivering Net Zero Carbon buildings. We have worked on some of the most progressive schemes in the industry, setting and managing budgets whilst achieving the drive for reducing the carbon impact.

One of our current key areas of focus is the tension between minimising operational carbon whilst also reducing embodied carbon, as many of the measures to improve one can worsen the other. If not carefully considered and balanced these can pull in different directions, ending up adding significant cost without achieving the desired long term carbon improvements.

Arbor features 13,000m2 of innovative Closed Cavity Facades, providing significantly increased environmental performance, whilst allowing incredible amounts of natural light through the 3m glazed panels. The unitised panels were constructed off-site, maximising the use of prefabrication for this tight location above a Network Rail viaduct.
Arbor

Native Land

The redevelopment of the Grade I listed Cambridge House opposite London’s Green Park involves a complex retention of the existing historic facades to allow a 20m deep basement and full new structure to be constructed behind.
Cambridge House

Motcomb Estates

About/Facades

The Challenges of Retained Facades

Working with historic buildings and in conservation areas often means incorporating some elements of retained facades into the scheme. These can cost more than new build facades, and often create significant technical, logistics and warranty challenges.

We are well versed in working with the design and delivery teams to overcome these challenges, allowing accurate budgets to be set and managed, and informed decisions to be made from the outset.

The redevelopment of the Grade I listed Cambridge House opposite London’s Green Park involves a complex retention of the existing historic facades to allow a 20m deep basement and full new structure to be constructed behind.
Cambridge House

Motcomb Estates

We use the title ‘partner’ to describe a director, consultant or senior employee of Core Five Consulting Limited.
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